Rangers in lose-lose bind with senior stars with massive player exodus on the cards
Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos have put Rangers in a “lose-lose” situation as their contracts run down, according to an ex-SPFL chief scout.
The star pair are out of contract in the summer but haven’t justified big new deals with poor performances, in a jaded-looking squad for new manager Michael Beale to contend with as he looks to lift the struggling Gers side out of their current slump.
Other players out of contract include Allan McGregor, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield, whose extensions prior to the season have been branded “lazy”, as well as Ryan Jack and the injured Filip Helander, and three of whom have been specifically named as likely to leave, along with Glen Kamara who may fetch a fee, with major outgoings ahead.
The scout called The Times: “Kent has been putting in his worst performances for Rangers since he arrived. Morelos is probably finding it difficult to accept he’s not the automatic No 1 striker.
“You can be feeling a bit down about two big players walking for free. But what do you do — reward them with bumper contracts for bad performances? It feels like a lose-lose. There’s a whole load of work to do.
“There will clearly be massive personnel changes in the summer.
“I’d say midfield would be the area most needy. Because Davis, Jack, Arfield are probably out the door and Kamara could get sold.”
Exodus
It is likely to be painful but the first half of this season has proven that the squad needs major surgery, so most if not all of the aforementioned names are unlikely to still be at Ibrox next season.
Even if Beale is able to lift the performances overall until the summer it would be papering over the cracks, and is unlikely to be enough to change that fate for more than a couple, with age and availability making it not cost-effective to keep players around.
McGregor is 40 already, and has had a strange six months where he went from hero of the Europa League run to second choice under Giovanni van Bronckhorst when he eventually confirmed he would not retire, so is surely done after this year.
Davis is not far behind at 37, while Arfield is 34, and Helander has only played 11 times since the end of the 2020/21 season.
Kent and Morelos still have age on their side, but it is going to take a major return to former glories under Beale to convince that they are worth the hefty investment they will want, but Jack could be a useful option if the money is right.
The issue is how much money is available to replace all these names, who have collectively given huge amounts to the club but all currently appear past their best.
Kamara seems ready to leave and is the only one who could bring much in, so seems a prime candidate for the exit door as well.
So while Beale’s connection with players who he coached previously has been touted as part of his appeal as new boss it seems unlikely that much of them will still be there within six months.
In other Rangers news, the potential successor to James Tavernier has been promoted to the first-team squad by the new manager just weeks after securing a new contract.